


read me (like a book)

by bezziemates



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, F/F, essentially the bookstore au that no one asked for, some agentreign but it's pretty brief
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-26 11:38:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15000095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bezziemates/pseuds/bezziemates
Summary: “Kara waves happily to her as she walks toward the door, a bright smile on her face. Lena, for her part, manages to wave back instead of standing there like an idiot (score!) and she bites back a laugh when Kara lets out a small sound of surprise – a sound that Lena hears clearly, even from behind the counter – after bumping into one of the display tables on her way out.Then she flashes one last smile at Lena, cheeks slightly more flushed now, before walking out of the bookstore.”Or, Lena owns a bookstore, Kara keeps coming back, and it’s really not helping Lena’s crush.





	read me (like a book)

**Author's Note:**

> so, I wrote this over a few days, and my mood tends to affect my writing sometimes. ergo, a head's up: some parts may be better than others. some parts may be shit. maybe the whole thing is shit??
> 
> anyway, sorry for any mistakes (I really tried to proofread this time so I hope it's paid off) and I hope you enjoy

Lena has always loved reading. Books have become quite the escape for her over the course of her life – it used to be a hobby, but it quickly turned into something she couldn’t live without. She chalks it up to the fact that reading quite literally takes her mind into another world, and she gets to live from the perspective of someone else; in certain cases, from the perspective of someone in the shadows, invisible to the characters in the story. She becomes a wallflower, peeking into the life of others and admiring how they interact with each other.

She used to coop herself up in her room when her parents were screaming each other’s heads off, trying to drown out the sounds of their muffled shouts by burying her nose into a book and travelling to another dimension. She used to read during lunchtime at school when there was no one to sit with her – she’d never been good at making friends. She used to read sitting beside Lex, both of them in a comfortable silence, physically near each other, but their minds were in completely different worlds.

Her teacher in preschool used to tell her that reading teaches her lessons she may never be able to learn through her own life experiences. Lena remembers hearing something about how life is short. And reading, in a way, allows her to live multiple lives, as well as learn many valuable lessons that she may need at some point or another. It’s a good pastime, too, so that’s always a plus.

Her love for books sparked an idea in her – she’d open a bookstore when she grew up.

And she did. Her mother didn’t support the idea very much at first, but after a while, Lena managed to convince her that it’d make them a profit.

Ever since then, Lena’s been running her own bookstore. Not too big, but not too small, either. It has a nice and cozy interior that she never gets tired of seeing, and she’s content to read when the shop is slightly less busy than it usually is.

Due to the current cold temperatures – a result of the start of winter – people have been staying inside and spending time with their families instead of going out, so the bookstore isn’t particularly busy.

It’s a few hours into the day now, and Lena’s just finished meticulously wrapping a book for a customer, who mentioned that the book would be a Christmas present for a friend. When the customer leaves, Lena realizes that the shop is now void of patrons. Sitting down in her chair behind the counter, she picks up the book she’s been reading for the past few days, opening it to the page she last stopped at and resuming her reading.

It’s only a couple of minutes later that the telltale bell placed at the door rings, signaling that a customer has entered.

Lena looks up, seeing a blonde woman look around the store with wonder. She walks around slowly, looking at all the books, but not taking anything out. Lena tilts her head, considering for a moment if she should go over to her.

She knows, however, how annoying it can be when she just wants to look around a shop, but the staff member insists on breathing down her neck and bugging her.

So she opts to go back to reading, chancing a glance at the woman every few moments to see if she’s picked anything out, or if she needs any help.

Four minutes and twenty-seven seconds later – but who’s counting? – the blonde walks up to the counter. When Lena notices that there’s a shadow over her book, she looks up, and it’s then that she can take a closer look at the woman. She’s stunning; her eyes are warm and friendly, a shade of blue that Lena has truly never seen before, and her teeth are perfectly straight and white. Her eyes crinkle at the corners, caused by the sheepish smile that she’s currently sporting. Her cheekbones are distinct, yet they have a softness to them, and for a moment, Lena wonders if her jawline could actually cut someone.

Lena forces the thought away, smiling kindly at the woman. “Hello, how may I help you?” She stands up from her chair, figuring that it’d be awkward to crane her neck from her seat in order to look up at this beautiful woman who, quite frankly, looks like she has no idea how good-looking she is.

The woman rubs the back of her neck, almost in embarrassment. “Hi, I was wondering if you had any good books to recommend?” Her question is unsure and she most definitely is embarrassed, as far as Lena can tell. Lena tries to control her smile at how adorable she is.

“Sure,” Lena replies. “Which genre do you prefer to read?” She’s already running through a few of her own recommendations in her head – customers don’t normally ask for her opinion and recommendation, because they usually have their own books in mind, but when they do, she’s more than happy to help. It’s exciting to talk to others about the books she loves; it makes her feel like she’s doing good, in a weird way.

“Uh,” the woman stutters. “What genres are there?” she asks, cheeks flushing. She’s clearly embarrassed by her lack of knowledge when it comes to books, but Lena is nothing but charmed.

“Well, the most popular one is romance. There’s also mystery, comedy, horror, thriller, sci-fi, supernatural and so on. We have comic books, too, if you like graphics,” Lena explains. “What kind of books do you like to read?”

The woman fumbles for words. “I, um, don’t really read all that much. Or at all, actually,” she admits with a laugh. “I’m starting out, so I thought it’d be good to start with an interesting book so that I don’t hate reading before even finishing it.”

Lena raises an eyebrow, smiling with amusement. “I can work with that. Do you like movies?”

The woman nods enthusiastically, her lips curling upwards with the excitement akin to a child on Christmas. “I love movies!”

Lena nods, grinning. “Okay, what kinds of movies do you like? Romance? Comedy?”

“I like rom-coms, and when I’m sad I watch trashy ones even though they’re really bad,” the woman says, wrinkling her nose.

“Okay, so romance then,” Lena concludes with a resolute nod. She walks over to the shelf with books that cater to romance and comedy, and pulls out _The Fault In Our Stars_ by John Green. The woman seems to have followed her, because when Lena turns around, she nearly crashes into her. Lena lets out a small yelp, then steadies herself. “This,” she holds the book out to the woman, “is a classic that many people like. I think you’ll like it.”

“I’ll take it then.”

Lena’s eyebrows arch. “Aren’t you going to read the synopsis before buying it, or something?”

The woman shakes her head. “I trust your judgment.”

Lena smiles, looking curiously at this incredibly smiley woman, then walks back to the register to scan the book. The woman fishes for her wallet, then takes out her credit card and holds it out to Lena. And Lena really shouldn’t. She shouldn’t glance at the name on the card. But she’s curious, and she just really wants to know. So she lets her eyes train on the name as she swipes it.

_Kara Danvers._

The name plays over and over on repeat, like a broken recorder, in Lena’s head as she works without thinking, passing the card back to Kara, and taking out a bag to place the book in it.

“Oh, no need for a bag,” Kara rushes to say, shaking her head with a smile.

Lena nods, and indulges herself with the thought that not only is this woman incredibly good-looking, she is also nice, friendly, and wants to save the earth. Then Lena wonders how such a person exists.

It’s after a good twelve seconds – Lena’s too distracted to count, and has to look at the clock on the wall to gauge how long Kara has been standing there waiting for Lena to pass her the book – that Lena snaps out of her ridiculous thoughts, and hands Kara the book.

Kara smiles gratefully at her. “Thank you so much!” she exclaims, and Lena can’t help fathoming how a person’s smile can be so unbelievably contagious. Kara reminds her of the sun. It’s weird, in the most incredible and refreshing way.

Kara waves happily to her as she walks toward the door, a bright smile on her face. Lena, for her part, manages to wave back instead of standing there like an idiot (score!) and she bites back a laugh when Kara lets out a small sound of surprise – a sound that Lena hears clearly, even from behind the counter – after bumping into one of the display tables on her way out.

Then she flashes one last smile at Lena, cheeks slightly more flushed now, before walking out of the bookstore.

When the door opens, courtesy of Kara’s exit, Lena hears the same bell sound that always rings through the store, but it seems to ricochet just a little more now, for reasons that she can’t pinpoint. The store seems emptier and more lifeless after Kara’s exit, and Lena knows it’s stupid, but she can’t help but mourn the fact that she’d probably never see Kara again.

She doesn’t even know why this bothers her; she has many customers every day. What makes Kara special?

_A lot of things,_ a voice in the back of her head says.

She shakes the thought away, and tries to go back to reading her book. She’ll never admit that she was reading the same sentence over and over again for the next thirty minutes.

//

Kara comes back two weeks later, a smile on her face. Lena looks up from her book as she walks in, and she’d be lying if she said that her heart didn’t skip a small, very inconspicuous beat at the sight of the blonde. Something about Kara is incredibly alluring, and Lena just wants to get to know her. Befriend her.

“Hi!” Kara’s cheerful greeting rings pleasantly through Lena’s ears as Kara makes a beeline for the counter.

“Hello, I take it that you _don’t_ hate reading, then?” Lena asks, recalling the conversation that they had the first time Kara visited this store two weeks ago.

Kara grins. “I don’t, thanks to you. It was a good book,” she compliments, and Lena feels pride swell in her chest at the fact that Kara liked the recommendation Lena gave her. “It made me cry, but it was really good.”

If Lena imagines Kara curled up on her couch, or bed, or in a chair at her dining table, crying while she reads through her tears and puffy eyes, then she blames Kara for bringing up the notion to begin with.

Lena smiles. “I’m glad that you liked it, then. Are you here for more recommendations?” she questions, putting her book down and standing up. She walks around the counter, coming to stand a few feet in front of Kara, and maybe part of the reason she did it is to see the full outfit that Kara is wearing today, but if anyone asks, she’ll deny it to her grave.

Kara’s outfit is great, though – she’s wearing a flannel shirt under a black jacket, jeans and boots. It’s simple, but Lena likes it.

“I am, actually. I’m going on vacation for a week, so I’m going to need something to read on the plane. I want to try something different this time. Surprise me,” Kara says. Her lips are curled upwards in an adorable smile, and Lena almost forgets what Kara even said.

“Alright, I’ve got a good one for you,” Lena says, walking a few steps to a shelf and taking out _Flowers for Algernon_ by Daniel Keyes. She shows Kara the book. “This is an amazing book, and it’s very impactful. I loved it.” She walks back to the counter, going back behind it.

“I’ll take it,” Kara says, similar to the last time she came in.

Lena scans the book, taking Kara’s credit card again and scanning it. “Do you want more books, or is one enough?” she asks, figuring that if the flight was long, Kara may want more than one book to read. If it also happens to be a chance to show Kara more good books, then Lena will pass it off as nothing more than a bonus.

“Do you have another?” Kara looks curious and slightly excited, and Lena can’t possibly be more charmed than she is now. Kara is a ball of sunshine, and on quiet days like these, Lena is thankful that she can have such great company, even if it’s just for a short while.

Lena points to a bookcase behind Kara. “Can you find a book on the shelf third from the top? It’s called _A Little Life_ ,” she says, and Kara walks over, letting out a noise of concentration as she looks for the book. When she does find the book, she lets out a small cheer, and Lena quite literally almost collapses from how cute it is.

“Found it,” Kara says with a cheeky grin, walking back to the counter and passing the book to Lena. Lena shakes her head with a laugh, scanning the book. She swipes Kara’s credit card once more, then passes it back to Kara.

“Do you want a bag?” Lena asks, and she kind of already knows the answer, but there’s a part of her wondering if maybe Kara might want a bag this time.

Kara shakes her head. “No, don’t need one,” she assures, taking the books from Lena’s hands. And, okay, it’s not Lena’s fault that her hands are cold and Kara’s are warm, and she relishes in that warmth for the split second that their fingers brush.

Lena nods, smile growing at the easy manner in which the words come out of Kara’s mouth. It’s as though she’s said this a million times before, as though it’s like a routine to her when she shops for anything in general. And Lena, being an advocate for protecting and preserving the environment, personally finds this a very great thing.

“Alright, enjoy the books then,” Lena replies with an easy smile. “And your vacation, of course,” she adds, just for good measure. She considers, for one second, if it’s stupid for her, a bookstore owner, to tell Kara, a customer, to enjoy her vacation when really, it’s none of her business. But the thought quickly washes away, nowhere to be found when Kara beams so wide that her eyes actually seem smaller because of it.

“Thanks!” Kara chirps happily, and Lena watches after her as she strolls out of the store, humming softly to herself.

And when Lena reads the same sentence over and over again for the next forty-five minutes, she knows full well that the only thoughts running through her head are different ways of saying that Kara is literally the physical embodiment of sunshine.

//

Over the week that Kara is on vacation, Lena finds herself wondering where she went and what she’s doing. If she’s having fun, if she got lost somewhere and laughed it off, if she’s eating good food and if she flopped onto the bed when she first got to wherever she was staying, like Lena thinks she probably would.

There’s also a thought that nags at Lena, which she knows she shouldn’t think too much about it, or think about it at all. She just can’t help but wonder, though, if Kara went alone, or if she went with her family. Friends? Boyfriend or girlfriend, maybe? Husband or wife?

Well, the last two are unlikely; there was no ring on Kara’s finger when Lena saw her both times in the past.

It fascinates her to no end how everyone in the world is living their own life, and so is she. Kara is out there somewhere, probably doing something really fun and having the time of her life, and here Lena is, a pathetic fool who’s wasting her life away thinking about Kara living her own life.

It’s ironic, really.

She’d blame it on the fact that she lacks human interaction and is literally the most socially inept person to ever walk the face of the earth, but it’s really not that. She’s just a hopeless mess who can’t stop thinking about nice pretty blondes who care about the environment. And while that’s exactly what it is, a part of Lena disagrees with the description. It’s not that it’s wrong, and maybe it’s really stupid, but Lena is certainly not going to group Kara with other nice pretty blondes, or other people who care about the environment.

Kara is a person, someone who Lena wants to know. She’s got her own personality, and she’s special in a way that Lena can’t put into words. Maybe it’s because she’s so open – she was so honest about the fact that she was bound to hate books if the first one she read sucked, and she talked to Lena like they were friends even though Lena was no more than a store owner serving a customer.

Kara effortlessly blurs the line between professional and personal, so effortlessly and so easily that Lena doesn’t even realize she’s doing it until she actually sits down and replays their interactions.

Lena doesn’t notice Kara blurring that line. Lena doesn’t notice Kara being friendly – unusually friendly for a customer who’s talking to a store owner – because Kara seems so inherently _warm_ that Lena forgets she’s supposed to be anything but that, even when talking to a stranger. And it makes Lena wonder if Kara is like that with everyone. If she leaves such a lasting impression on everyone she meets, or if it’s just Lena herself being so taken by someone who, logically speaking, is a normal person.

But Kara isn’t normal. ‘Normal’ is the last word that comes to Lena’s head when she thinks of Kara. Kara is anything _but_ normal; she’s bright, and she lights up the room when she walks in. Well, she may not _physically_ light up the room, but it does seem a little brighter when Kara’s around.

At least, to Lena it does.

She can't get it out of her head. She can't stop thinking about how Kara is doing, and it’s worrying how often Lena’s minds keeps drifting to this topic, because she’s only interacted with Kara twice. Yet, thoughts of Kara – how she’s doing, or replays of their past two interactions, or imaginations of future scenarios – are always either in the forefront or in the back of Lena’s mind.

It’s not just Kara; really, most of this is about Lena. It’s about the fact that Lena is so endeared by Kara for some reason, and obviously, she sucks at handling it. All she wants to do is to talk to Kara and get to know her better, and until she does that, she’d be _thinking_ about doing it. Which is ridiculous when said out loud, but then again, Lena’s a pathetic idiot, so what’s new?

Frankly, Lena won't call it a crush. It’s not to that extent ( _yet,_ a voice in the back of her head says, which she actively ignores). If anything, it’s a platonic crush. Lena doesn’t make many friends, and Kara is friendly; a combination of both will inevitably end up with Lena wanting to befriend Kara. That’s the logical part of it.

This goes beyond logic, however, and Lena is aware of that. There’s this feeling of warmth that overcomes her when she talks to Kara, and sometimes when she thinks about Kara, too. And it’s this warmth that makes her want to be closer to Kara. It’s this warmth that she didn’t know she craved until she got it, and when she has it, she can't get enough of it. She can't put a finger on what it is. Friendship? Affection?

Whatever it is, being around Kara fills her with it, and that feeling is something that she quickly became addicted to. Something that she now wants, almost constantly.

So, over the week that Kara is gone, Lena wonders if she’s having a good time, if she’s enjoying her vacation like Lena asked her to the last time they spoke. And it’s a slow week. After exactly seven days, every time the bell chimes, Lena’s gaze snaps toward the door to see if it’s Kara. But it never is.

Kara doesn’t show up until Lena’s subconscious count hits ten days. She walks in casually, a spring in her step that’s maybe from her vacation, maybe just because she’s in a good mood, maybe because of another reason that Lena doesn’t know and probably cannot guess. By then, Lena’s stopped looking at the door with too much hope, and instead has tried to control herself. After all, it’s not healthy to crave the company and attention of someone who doesn’t even know her name. She can handle herself. She can handle it.

The bell chimes when Kara enters, and, like clockwork, Lena looks up from her book to see who it is. Her heart speeds up a little in excitement when she notices that it’s Kara, and she has to physically refrain from jumping up from her seat and grinning like a maniac, because it’s Kara and Kara is smiling brightly as usual and Lena feels like she’s just had a glass of water after a long drought.

It’s a miracle in itself that Lena manages to keep herself composed, or at least _somewhat_ composed. She stands up from her chair at a steady speed, compared to the springing she was likely to do had she not been consciously controlling her excitement. Dusting off imaginary lint from her shirt – which, really, is just something to sate her restlessness at the moment – she greets Kara with a friendly and hopefully not creepy smile. “Hi.”

Truly eloquent, is what she is.

Kara smiles at her, completely unaware of the sheer number of times Lena is mentally stabbing herself in the eye. “Hi!” she exclaims in greeting. Lena contemplates killing herself right here, right now, or asking Kara the secret to being a very attractive person. There’s no in between.

“So, did you enjoy the books?” Lena asks, as way of a starting a conversation. Kara doesn’t look like she’s here to buy anything in particular, if the way she walked straight to the counter when she entered the store was anything to go by.

Kara pouts. She pouts, and Lena was honest to God not ready for it. And she’s not walking, she’s standing quite rooted to the spot behind the counter, yet she somehow manages to almost slip and fall. Which wasn’t possible for her, not until today. It’s mildly concerning and a hundred percent laughable, but Lena can’t be bothered to think about how humiliating it would’ve been had she actually fell down right now, because her mind is in overdrive and she’s on the verge of actual death.

“They were both really sad,” Kara says, and she is still pouting, and Lena is still dying inside. It would seem that all the reading she’s done all her life hasn’t made her a calm and intelligent enough person to see Kara Danvers pouting without feeling like combusting on the spot.

“They were good, though,” Lena counters, some part of her wondering how she’s keeping it together right now. “Right?” she adds the question, because she’s pathetic and needs to know if Kara liked the books, or if she actually didn’t like them and Lena failed when she literally had one job.

“Yeah, they were good,” Kara agrees, pout turning into a smile. Lena compares which one is less likely to kill her and by the time Kara speaks again, she doesn’t have a conclusion yet. “Do you have any happy books this time?”

Lena nods, walking out of her space behind the counter and putting all her concentration into not tripping or looking like an idiot in general. Kara is completely unbeknownst to the fact that her stare is always so _intense_ because of the color of her eyes, and it’s really throwing Lena off in the best and worst way. Lena concentrates. She walks, one step after another, to the shelf that she thinks Kara will love. “Have you ever heard of Harry Potter?” Lena spins around to face Kara as she’s asking the question, and once more, Kara is just a little too close.

Kara, ever the nice one, moves back on instinct when Lena turns around, and she nearly falls onto the bookcase right behind her. And it’s a wonder that Lena is still a functioning human being at this point, but she is. Her reflexes kick in, and she reaches out to grab Kara’s upper arms, steadying her and preventing her from actually falling onto the bookcase.

“Sorry!” Kara squeaks out immediately, and Lena only realizes she’s still holding onto Kara’s arms when Kara tries to raise a hand up to her face. Almost too quickly, Lena retracts her hands, and Kara brings a hand up to adjust her glasses sheepishly. “I’m a klutz,” Kara adds, an apologetic smile on her face. Lena isn’t even mad. She’s just craving death.

“It’s okay,” Lena assures, spinning right back around to face the shelf, because if she continues to look at Kara, she _knows_ she’s just going to stare like an idiot. Which, she _is_ an idiot, but that’s no reason to do something to justify the fact even further. Maybe if she bangs her head hard enough on the bookshelf, she could pass out and make it look like an accident.

Then she thinks about the fact that Kara seems like the nicest, most generous human being ever, and Lena has this feeling that if she were to pass out right now, for whatever reason or from whatever cause, Kara will actually follow her to the hospital and Lena will wake up to a relieved, bright smile that could possibly make her pass out again, not even ten seconds after she’s woken up.

That’s considerably worse than this, because at least Lena is not in a bed right now where she can’t run away if the need ever arises, so she decides that a concussion and possible damaging of the bookshelf isn’t worth her incessant need to kill herself, or something along those lines.

“Anyway,” Lena says, maybe a little too loud and a little too enthusiastically. She reaches forward, taking out the first book of the Harry Potter series. “I think you’ll like Harry Potter. It’s about wizards and magic,” she turns around, noting that Kara is still in the spot she was standing in after Lena steadied her, “if you like that sort of thing.”

“Oh! I know that one!” Kara is excited. Elated, even, and Lena sees the glee on her face, caused solely by the fact that she recognizes the book series. And she can’t bring herself to say that literally everyone has heard of Harry Potter, because Kara looks too happy and too cute right now, and Lena is – as she’s probably thought to herself several times over the past few minutes – an idiot. “My friend, Winn, loves Harry Potter. He talks about it all the time.”

“It’s a popular series,” Lena says with a nod, and seriously, how is she forming coherent sentences right now? It’s unfathomable, but she knows she should embrace instead of question – God forbid she starts rambling about the entire story of Harry Potter, from the first book to the last. “This is the first book. The series is pretty long, so it’ll keep you occupied for a while.”

“Is it sad?” Kara asks, probably not even realizing that she’s pouting again. Lena decides that after this, she’s going to the coffee shop across the street to get a well-deserved coffee for surviving this long.

“There are happy and sad moments, so that’s a hard question to answer,” Lena admits, finger tapping on the cover of the book. “I can promise that it’s a good series,” is the answer she settles on eventually, and at first she thinks it’s probably useless and inadequate, but Kara completely dispels the thought from her, because she’s smiling like a better answer doesn’t exist.

“I’m gonna trust your judgment then!” Kara decides, and Lena can’t do anything but nod. She literally can’t will herself to speak, because something unintelligible will probably come out of her if she even tries to say something. Instead, she just walks back to the counter, imagining the number of grey hairs she’s grown from this visit alone.

Lena scans the book, taking the credit card that Kara is already holding out to her. And it’s the same thing as always – she swipes the credit card, gives it back to Kara, and reaches down to get a bag. It’s a routine, before she remembers that Kara doesn’t want bags. Because she protects the environment, and Lena is an idiot for still being hung up on this.

She passes the book to Kara. “Do you need a bag?” she asks, just because it’s protocol, but also because Kara literally doesn’t have a single bag on her.

But Kara just shakes her head with a smile, and Lena can’t decide if she’s supposed to be surprised or not. “Nope,” Kara says, popping the ‘p’. Lena nods, managing a smile so that she doesn’t look as pathetic as she feels.

She holds the book out, and Kara takes it, cold fingers brushing warm ones, similar to what happened the last time Kara came here. Lena just wants to stab herself. “Alright then, I hope you like it,” Lena says, and she truly does mean it.

Kara smiles at her, free hand coming up to adjust her glasses again. It’s adorable. “I’m sure I will.” They stand there smiling at each other for four seconds that Lena is most definitely not counting, then Kara exclaims, “Thank you!”

Lena watches as she walks out happily, carrying the book in her hand, and decides two things.

First, she is a hot mess.

Second, she needs to get herself together.

//

Of course Kara would be in the coffee shop across the street. Lena shouldn’t have expected any less, and she doesn’t know why she did in the first place. Of course the universe would so evil, evil enough to make sure that she doesn’t ever get to catch a break from being on the verge of exploding – when she walks into the shop, she makes a beeline for the counter, not spotting Kara at first. And the barista takes her order, then prepares it at once. As her coffee is being prepared, Lena sweeps her gaze over the shop to pass the time, and lo and behold, Kara is there.

Her nose is buried in the book that Lena had sold her not more than five minutes ago, and she’s sipping on a cup of coffee as she reads, eyes never straying from the book even as she drinks her coffee. She’s sitting by the window, sunlight streaming in and making her hair look like it’s a glowing golden in color. She’s a vision in and of itself.

The barista snaps Lena out of her thoughts, calling out her name and passing her the cup of takeaway coffee she had ordered.

And, for a moment, Lena considers going over to Kara. She knows for sure that Kara, being the person she is, would invite Lena to sit down in the seat opposite her – the seat that’s currently taunting Lena to no end.

Perhaps it’s because she has a shop to run, perhaps it’s because she figures that going over would be more of a disturbance than a welcome surprise to Kara, perhaps it’s because Lena’s afraid.

Whatever the reason is, Lena tears her eyes away from Kara and wills herself to back to her bookstore.

She spends the next hour thinking about the fact that Kara is just across the street. The last half of that hour is spent wondering if she’s already left, or if she’s still in the coffee shop, reading.

But she stays where she is.

//

Kara comes back the next day.

It’s way sooner than Lena expects her to come back, but it’s not like she’s complaining or anything, because she’s not. Lena allows herself to consider for a few seconds if maybe Kara actually appreciates her recommendations, if maybe a small, almost infinitesimal part of the reason why Kara comes to her store is linked to Lena herself and not the books she’s selling.

It’s only for a few seconds.

Then she pushes the thought away, because even if that were true, Kara comes here for books, and Lena is supposed to be a professional bookstore owner who treats her like she would any other customer, not an idiot who tries to make very unnecessary conversation with her.

“The first book was so good!” Kara shouts it the moment she enters, probably not caring if there are other patrons in the store, which there aren’t – Lena finds it odd that every time Kara is in the store, there’s coincidentally no one else. It’s not like it’s almost always empty, in fact, there are usually a few people in the store at any one time. But when Kara comes, it always happens to be when there’s no one else in the store. Lena doesn’t know whether to be grateful or nervous – grateful because there’s no one to interrupt them or witness Lena’s near combustion, nervous because the presence of other people somehow makes the situation less suffocating.

It’s suffocating in the best way, but still suffocating. At this rate, Lena’s going to die young.

It takes all of three seconds for Lena to register what Kara was talking about, and when she does, her face breaks into a smile. “I’m glad you liked it,” she says, voice coming out surprisingly steady.

“Liked it?” Kara asks, eyes bright and animated. “I loved it!” she exclaims gleefully. And it makes Lena happy, because Kara is happy and that makes Lena happy and Lena’s an idiot who clearly cannot handle herself.

“I presume you’re here for the second book?” Lena asks, an eyebrow raised. Her mouth is moving faster than her head, and she’s continuing before she knows it, “Or you can buy a box of the whole series. It’s cheaper that way.”

“But the box includes the first book, too, right?” Kara’s voice is a little sad, and Lena feels like wrapping her in a hug. “Which I already have.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Lena finds herself saying, and there’s a voice in the back of her head screaming something like _what in God’s name are you doing_ , but Lena’s already started talking and it’s too late to take it back, “I’ll subtract the price of the first book for you.”

Kara looks like she wants to accept, but then something dawns on her, and she frowns. “But the average price of each book in the box is cheaper than each individual book, so isn’t the cost different?” she asks. And, okay, Lena admits that she knew that, but she was kind of hoping that Kara didn’t notice, because Lena truly makes enough profit to last her a few lifetimes, and she’ll still be making profit because Kara seems to like buying from her.

“Alright, alright,” Lena relents, pulling out a calculator from behind the counter and calculating the average price of one book from the box. “Each individual book is fifteen dollars. The average price of each book in the box is twelve dollars. I’ll subtract twelve,” she suggests, looking back up at Kara to see if she’s alright with it.

“So you’ll take the first book out of the box?” Kara asks, head tilting. She looks like she doesn’t want to accept Lena’s rather random generosity, and Lena completely understands, but she also wants Kara to just accept it – she is happily offering, and she’s still not making any form of loss. If anything, it’s a few dollars of profit lost, and that’s it. Quite frankly, Lena would pay to see Kara smile. Which is probably just a little weird, but it’s unfortunately true.

Lena shakes her head. “No, I’ll just sell you the whole box, but with a twelve dollar discount. Technically.” Kara looks like she’s about to protest, and more words are tumbling out of Lena’s mouth before she can stop herself, “It’s fine, Kara. I won't be making any loss, I promise. It’s just more convenient to buy the box if you know you’re going to be invested in the whole Harry Potter series.”

“You know my name,” Kara says quietly, maybe more to herself than to Lena. There’s a moment of silence where it occurs to Lena that she’s never said Kara’s name out loud before, much less to Kara herself. And she probably looks like a total creep right now, but Kara isn’t looking creeped out at all; she just looks… surprised.

“That’s what you got from what I said?” Lena asks incredulously, smiling endearingly, and she almost regrets what she said, because she and Kara are still only professionally linked, and she probably shouldn’t be so casual with her, but it slipped out. Kara, however, smiles and laughs, and all worries about whether she’s crossed a line or not leaves Lena’s mind.

“I mean, yeah I heard everything else,” Kara assures, still laughing a little. “I was just shocked, is all.” Her shoulders bounce in a small, carefree shrug, her blonde curls bouncing along with them. Lena wonders how something so small and simple can be so captivating.

“It’s on your credit card,” Lena replies, as casually as possible.

Kara hums thoughtfully. “I never thought of that,” she says, voice colored with what Lena thinks is wonder. “Anyway,” she continues, waving the tangent off. “I really appreciate your offer, but I can't possibly accept it.” And Lena knows she should just end this with something akin to a ‘suit yourself’ and then bask in the fact that she’d make more money if Kara buys the box for its original price, or each book individually. But something inside of her dies at the prospect of dropping this.

“It’s really alright,” Lena pursues, for reasons unknown to her. “It’s either you spend more money, or I lose a little bit of profit. Which, there will be no actual losses even if I subtract the twelve dollars. You keep buying from me, too, so it’s fine. I’m offering.”

Kara still looks unconvinced, eyes darting from one of Lena’s own eyes to another.

“Kara, I make more than enough profit every day. You don't have to worry,” Lena continues, walking over to the shelf with Harry Potter books and grabbing the box with the whole series in it. She walks back to the counter, setting the box on it. Her hand comes to rest atop the box as she speaks once more, “Just take it,” she insists gently, tapping on the box twice.

Kara is silent for a few moments, contemplating, before she speaks softly. “Are you sure?” she asks. “Can I at least pay the full price for the box?”

Lena raises an eyebrow at the proposition. “Didn’t this entire conversation start because you found it pointless to pay for a book that you already have, which happens to be in this very box?” she questions teasingly.

“I know, but I feel really bad.” Kara’s pouting again, and Lena allows herself to be proud of the fact that she’s slightly more controlled this time. Her mind is still reeling and her heart is still racing, just a little, but she’s more at ease now, and there’s less of a craving for death, less of feeling like she’s probably going to pass out. And she’s happy about it.

“Don't.” Lena shakes her head, voice light yet firm. “I wouldn't make this offer if I wasn’t sure about it.” And Lena thinks that maybe she’s been sure about this before she even knew she was sure about this, which doesn’t make sense, but then again most things don't make sense when it comes to Kara.

Kara still looks a little unsure. It’s inevitable; Kara is way too nice to accept this kind of offer with zero hesitation and zero remorse. But Lena also knows that she makes a compelling argument – it’s either Kara pays more (unnecessarily, if Lena might add), or Lena makes slightly less profit that doesn’t leave any form of noticeable dent on her income. Obviously, the logical choice would be for Kara to give in and accept Lena’s offer.

Lena is certain that any customer who wanted to save money would’ve accepted her offer without hesitation. It goes without question. But this is Kara, Kara who is nice beyond belief and definitely would feel bad for something like not picking up litter that someone else had left on the ground – Kara who would see a tissue on the ground, pick it up, find a trash bin and throw it away because she most definitely will feel guilty for seeing it and leaving it there.

So obviously, it’ll take more than just a compelling argument to convince her to take up this offer. This offer which has Kara at an advantage and kind of has Lena at a disadvantage. If it were up to Lena, she would say that no one’s at a disadvantage, because really, she’s doing this because she wants to.

“Alright, okay,” Kara relents, and Lena smiles, because Kara’s giving her a genuine, grateful smile where her nose scrunches up and her lips are curled upwards in the cutest way possible, and it’s just so unbelievably contagious. “But I owe you one,” she adds, punctuating it by pointing a stern finger at Lena that really isn’t stern at all. It’s just adorable – Lena has probably thought of the word ‘adorable’ too many times to count in the past month, and that’s slightly concerning because it always seems to be linked to Kara in some way or form – and Lena can't hold back a small laugh.

“You’re paying me,” Lena counters, raising an eyebrow. She scans the box, then takes Kara’s credit card from the hand that the blonde is using to hold it out, and swipes it.

Kara laughs again, and Lena is fine. And by fine, she means she’s still alive. Barely, but she’s quite sure she can hear her heart thudding in her ears, so if that’s anything to go by, she’d say that she’s alive. It’s an accomplishment that she’s not dead yet. “Says the one giving me a discount for no reason,” Kara retorts, trying to raise an eyebrow. It doesn’t work – her muscles probably just don't work that way – and she ends up raising both eyebrows instead. Lena feels like hugging her again.

“It’s not for no reason,” Lena throws back, chin held just a little higher. “You’re quickly becoming a regular customer. And you’ve complimented all my recommendations. It’s done wonders to my ego.” Kara laughs at her joke, which is, admittedly, a terrible joke, but Kara’s laughter is the exact opposite of terrible, so Lena considers it a win.

“Has it?” Kara humors her, and Lena finds herself enjoying the banter. The space between them is filled with a pleasant air that she doesn’t know how to describe. She feels similar to how one would feel if they were floating on a cloud – light and on top of the world. Which is also contrary to the fact that Kara grounds her, in a way. Lena chooses not to think too much about it.

“Oh, it definitely has.” Lena nods exaggeratedly, sarcasm dripping from her tone, and Kara’s smile widens at the pursuit of the joke.

“I only spoke the truth,” Kara admits, eyes gleaming under the bright lights in the store, and seemingly from the happiness that Kara appears to be feeling in the moment. She obviously wears her heart on her sleeve – she exudes happiness right now, same as how she exuded shock when Lena steadied her after she lost balance, same as how she exuded embarrassment when she didn’t know anything about books.

It fills Lena with this perpetual need to protect her from anyone who tries to hurt her. But Kara seems to also have a strength about her – she’s sure of herself, and has the confidence to project herself, but also the humility and friendliness that allows her to connect with others so easily.

And all these qualities seem to combine to form a person that seems so simple at first glance, but is, in actuality, a conundrum wrapped in a riddle.

Lena wants to know her.

_It’s stupid._

“The whole series will probably take a while to finish,” Lena taps the box once more, sliding it towards Kara. “But it’s definitely worth it,” she says, a promise that she doesn’t hesitate to make.

Kara smiles at her. “I’m sure it will be,” she agrees, hand coming up to fiddle with her glasses for a moment. “Thank you, again.”

Lena shakes her head and waves a dismissive hand. “Don't mention it.” And Lena hopes that Kara really doesn’t mention it ever again, because the compelling argument that Lena had put forth earlier is probably a good twenty percent of the reason why she actually made the offer, and the other eighty percent is taken up by the sole fact that she’s completely incapable of handling this situation without looking like she wants to marry Kara, or something like that.

She prays that the obliviousness Kara displays is real and not just Kara pretending she doesn’t notice what’s going on in order to preserve Lena’s dignity.

And the next minute or so becomes nothing more than a blur as Kara looks at her, smiling, for a good seven seconds before taking the box and then smiling even wider, as though trying to convey her thanks, once more, through her expression. Which she does. And Lena stares at her slightly flexed bicep that is only tensed up because she holds the rather heavy box comfortably in her arm. But only for a moment. Or maybe two.

Then Kara walks out with the box carried in that one arm (the other waving happily to Lena), looking like she’s having exactly zero difficulty, and Lena just watches, numbly waving back.

It’s ten minutes later that Lena realizes that she forgot to ask Kara if she wanted a bag.

_Curse those biceps and that stupid smile._

//

Kara doesn’t come back for a week.

It’s a painful week for Lena, a week that passes by incredibly slowly. And she’d be lying if she said that she never pictured Kara curling up on a soft surface and reading the big box of books she brought home with her from Lena’s bookstore.

And Lena tries to concentrate on reading her own books – she has a never-ending list which she is currently making her way through – but she can't. Kara is a distraction that, even when physically absent, can still cause Lena to lose focus on whatever she’s doing. It’s quickly becoming a problem, but she doesn’t know how to get rid of it, and if her only job is to run a bookstore, then moments of boredom can also be avoided because her mind is constantly occupied.

On a few days, she goes to the coffee shop across the street when it’s lunch time, just to pick up some food and coffee to keep herself energized. While her order is being prepared, she looks around, the same sweep of the café that she did the time she saw Kara in that small table, reading the first book of the Harry Potter series. And maybe there’s a spark of hope that she’d see Kara reading at a table once again, but it goes away quickly when she realizes two things – first, Kara is not in the café, and second, the likelihood of them being in the same place at the same time by a mere coincidence is quite low.

Then Lena takes her coffee and food, going back to her bookstore and trying to occupy herself with her book.

There’s progress. It’s slow, but it’s there. The absence of Kara allows her to gather herself together, and maybe it’s just what she needs, especially if Kara is really going to become a regular customer.

After that week, Kara comes back. There’s the same telltale bell when she opens the door, the same spring in her step and the same smile on her face, and Lena, same as always, stands up from her seat to greet the blonde. It was not more than thirty seconds ago that there were two patrons in the store, but just like every other time Kara has come in, the store is empty when she arrives.

“I finished it,” Kara announces, walking straight to the counter. She looks a level of satisfied that Lena has never seen on her before, and it’s really quite beautiful. Her features are relaxed but also happy, and there’s an easy smile tugging on her lips. The simplicity of it makes it all the more enchanting.

“Done already?” Lena asks, rather curious as to how fast Kara reads, and how much times she spends reading each day. If she finished the whole series within a week, she must’ve been really invested in it. Which isn’t particularly surprising, considering her excitement after she finished the first book.

Kara hums happily. “Done, and it was _beyond_ amazing,” she gushes, grinning excitedly. “Did you know that the most popular pairing in Harry Potter fanfiction is Draco and Harry?”

Lena’s eyebrows raise at that. “I didn’t peg you as a fanfiction kind of girl.”

Kara waves a dismissive hand. “I’m not. I just searched up Harry Potter on Google and stumbled upon a whole archive of fanfiction. Which I didn’t read.” She pauses for a short while, then admits, “Okay, I read one. But come on, wouldn’t you be curious too?” Lena feels inclined to agree just from the look on her face.

“I would, but I’m not sure if I’d ever actually try reading one. I already have an endless list of published books I’ve been meaning to read,” Lena comments, shrugging.

Kara looks positively appalled. “How many books have you read so far? In your life, I mean,” she asks, eyes wide. Lena doesn’t know the answer, but if she did, it’d probably be a number that’d have Kara passing out. It must be in the high hundreds by now, maybe more than a thousand, if Lena were to be generous with it. She remembers keeping track once, before deciding that the number wasn’t really worth knowing anymore.

“I don't keep track,” Lena admits. Kara still looks like she wants at least a semblance of an answer, so Lena relents and gives a rough estimate, “I’d say close to a thousand. Maybe a little more.”

If Kara’s eyes could pop out of their sockets from shock alone, they would. Lena bites back a laugh at the awed look on her face – she’d take a picture if not for the fact that it’d be just a little weird. She’s not surprised by Kara’s reaction, since the blonde has probably read about twenty books over the course of her life. “That’s insane.” Kara shakes her head, the words coming out in a mumble filled with what sounds a little like admiration and disbelief at the same time.

“Well, you _are_ asking the owner of a bookstore,” Lena points out, eyebrows raised slightly.

Kara wrinkles her nose. “That’s a fair point,” she admits, a small nod accompanying her words. “I wouldn’t put it past you, anyway.”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?” Lena asks, gazing curiously at Kara.

Kara, for her part, is fumbling for words, probably thinking she’s insulted Lena. And Lena just laughs lightly, a gesture that shows she’s joking and isn’t actually offended. “A compliment,” Kara assures after a moment, adjusting her glasses. “Definitely a compliment. Plus, now I can just keep asking you for recommendations.”

Lena hums, tapping her fingers on the counter. “Maybe,” she acquiesces. “But my taste in books is quite eclectic, so you may want to find out what kind of genre you really like before I recommend a thousand-page mystery that you don't even want to read,” she teases, raising an eyebrow.

Kara lets out a ‘pfft’ sound. “All your recommendations are great. You have a knack for that.”

Lena tilts her head. “For what? Recommending?” She doesn’t recommend books to people often, and majority of the reason why is because her taste may not necessarily fit what others like – recommendations only work if they share a similar taste with her. The only reason she agreed to help Kara was because Kara hadn’t read any books to begin with, so she didn’t have a specific taste. That, and Lena couldn’t bear to deny Kara of her request when she was there, looking so sheepish and so hopeful.

Kara nods. “Yes. Maybe it’s, like, a sixth sense, or something like that.”

“Sure, we’ll go with that,” Lena replies, nodding along. She doesn’t realize she’s smiling until Kara smiles back, just as wide.

“I’m glad you agree.” And Kara punctuates her statement with a wink, which Lena definitely had not anticipated. It’s a wonder she’s still conscious. “Do you have another book to recommend?”

Lena pauses for a moment, thinking it over. She’d love to recommend another book to Kara, but there are many other books besides the ones that Lena has read so far, and she’d love for Kara to explore the variety for herself. “How about you look around and find a book that you think you’d enjoy? And if you can't, I’ll give you one of my recommendations.” She seals the promise with a reassuring smile.

Kara contemplates the suggestion for a moment before nodding. “Sure!” she exclaims, grinning. Then she walks off, looking around and taking out a few books to read the synopses.

Lena watches as a crinkle appears between her brows when the description she read doesn’t interest her, and different expressions cross her face as she continues to look for more books. Watching Kara is entertaining on its own, and after about ten minutes, she returns to the counter with two books in hand.

It’s a few moments later that Lena is handing her credit card back to her, after having swiped it. “Do you need a bag?” Lena asks, raising an eyebrow.

“I thought we were past that,” Kara jokes, a teasing gleam in her eye.

“It’s protocol,” Lena reasons, shrugging one shoulder. “I, too, think that saving the environment is important.”

Kara grins. “Isn’t it?” she asks, taking the books that Lena is holding out to her. “I’m glad someone agrees with me.”

“Doesn’t everyone?” It’s kind of a joke, but not really, because Lena honestly thinks that Kara could convince someone that the earth is flat just by using her smile as her weapon. She could convince anyone to agree with her on anything.

“I have a feeling there’s a subtext I’m not getting here,” Kara says, smiling curiously. Lena considers telling her, but then it’d probably be weird, and she can’t come up with a way to express her thoughts without it sounding creepy beyond imagination, so she decides against it.

“It’s not important,” Lena assures, waving it off. “Don't worry about it. I hope you enjoy the books you picked out today.”

“I hope so too.”

And all Lena can think about is how the sun can’t hold a candle to Kara’s smile.

//

Kara comes back the next day.

Lena is only half fazed, and she gives Kara smile when the blonde enters. Today, Kara’s usual light aura is a little dimmer, and it’s rather worrying. Her smile is still as wide, but her eyes have lost their sparkle ever so slightly, and Lena’s all but ready to do anything in her power to bring it back.

“Hey, what can I do for you today?” Lena asks, deciding that jumping straight to asking what’s wrong would probably be counterproductive. She doesn’t know Kara on a personal level, and while they could maybe be considered casual friends, she wouldn’t push it.

“I actually just… came here to talk, if you don’t mind,” Kara says, not even bothering to lie about it. It makes Lena feel comforted that Kara doesn’t feel like she has to lie to her; Lena isn’t one to judge, and taking into consideration the fact that Kara is usually very happy-go-lucky, this sudden difference in mood is disconcerting.

“Is something wrong?” Lena questions, frowning. It hurts to see Kara this way, and while Kara isn’t actually displaying her sadness, Lena can feel that she’s unhappy, and it makes Lena feel just as unhappy.

“Would it be weird to talk about it?” Kara asks unsurely, worrying her bottom lip.

Lena shakes her head. “No, of course not. If you have something you need to talk about, I’d be happy to listen.” Kara still looks unsure, so Lena sticks out her hand. And Kara looks down at it, confused, before Lena speaks, “I’m Lena,” she says simply. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Kara looks up at her then, smiling like she usually does, and Lena’s heart flutters at the thought that she’s cheered Kara up, even if it’s only for the time being. Kara takes her hand, shaking it and laughing. “You’re ridiculous,” she says, shaking her head.

“I made you smile, didn’t I?” Lena asks, raising an eyebrow. Maybe she’s pushing it right now, because Kara genuinely has something she wants to talk about, but Kara’s also smiling and laughing at the banter, and if this will help to ease them into the conversation, then she’ll roll with it.

“Yes, you did,” Kara confirms, huffing out a small laugh. Lena watches as her expression sobers up, watches as Kara pulls her bottom lip into her mouth again. “Alright, so, just as backstory, I’m adopted.” Lena nods along, realizing that she’s actually going to learn more about Kara, and it’s exciting, but pretty much all she can think about right now is how Kara is sad, and that makes _her_ sad. “My birth mother gave me a necklace before she died, and it’s one of the most precious things I’ve ever owned. But I can’t find it.”

And Lena puts the pieces together, immediately reaching out to a small compartment in the counter where she placed the necklace that she had found sitting on top of the table the day before. “Well, I found this yesterday on the counter. Could it possibly be yours?” Lena questions, holding it out to Kara.

Kara looks down at the necklace, and Lena can’t capture how beautiful it is to witness Kara’s face light up at the sight of it. She reaches forward, gingerly taking the necklace from Lena’s hand and looking at the beautiful circular charm hanging from the silver chain. “Oh my gosh,” Kara says shakily, like she barely believes that this is happening right now. “It is.”

“Maybe it fell off yesterday. It’s quite a loose necklace,” Lena comments, smiling. Kara is still cradling the necklace gently in her hand, like it’s the most precious thing she’s ever held, and Lena can tell it’s probably not that far off.

“I can’t believe it,” Kara replies, tears welling up in her eyes, and Lena’s heart breaks at the thought of Kara looking all around for it, tears streaming down her face as her efforts are nothing but fruitless. It makes her wonder what would’ve happened if it was really lost, if Kara never found it. She’d be completely heartbroken. Yet here she sits, luck on her side, and Lena just thinks that she definitely deserves the good fortune. “Thank you,” Kara whispers, looking up at Lena. A tear escapes from her eyes, rolling down her cheek.

Lena reaches forward without thinking, wiping the tear away. “Don’t thank me, thank good luck,” she jokes, shaking her head.

Kara laughs wetly. “Thank you anyway, for keeping it.”

“You’re welcome,” Lena replies, smiling tenderly. And she can’t help but think that Kara still looks beautiful, even with her eyes watery and her cheeks flushed and her hair slightly mussed.

“I’m sorry, I’m a mess,” Kara says, smiling apologetically and wiping any traces of tears from her eyes and cheek. Lena definitely doesn’t agree, but she doesn’t know how to say it.

She doesn’t realize that she’s speaking until it’s too late. “You’re beautiful,” she assures, a statement that comes out casual, more than anything. She fights the blush threatening to creep onto her cheeks when it catches up to her that she actually said that out loud.

Kara just looks happier, cheeks slightly more flushed than before. “And you’re too nice,” she counters, ducking her head bashfully and shaking it. Lena, for one, thinks it’s quite possibly the truest thing she’s ever said, but something tells her that Kara would never believe her.

“So, do you want to buy a book, or are you still reading the ones you bought yesterday?” Lena questions, lightening the mood. It seems to work, because Kara grins, shaking her head.

“I’m still reading the ones I bought yesterday. I did come here because I was sad that I lost my mother’s necklace, but I would love to stay and talk if you have the time,” Kara admits, smiling hopefully. Lena wonders if anyone has ever said no to Kara before, because it seems virtually impossible.

“We can do whatever you like.” It’s only after Lena says it that she realizes the possible hidden meaning behind the statement, but if Kara notices it too, she doesn’t mention it.

“Does your life revolve around books?” Kara asks, smiling as she looks around the bookstore.

Lena hums, pondering the question. _Does_ her life revolve around books? “No, I suppose not,” she says after a moment.

“Why?” Kara asks, head tilting curiously. “You own a bookstore.”

Lena nods. “I do, and I absolutely love reading – it’s something I’ve been doing my whole life. But at the time same, my life doesn’t revolve around reading. It revolves around many things,” she pauses, thinking over her answer. “One of the things that I think I’ve always valued a lot is love. The people around you who care about you, your loved ones and so on,” Lena explains, smiling wistfully. “Reading makes me happy, but it can get lonely sometimes. Because it’s fiction – reality is still a thing. And no matter how loved a character in a book is, nothing can compare to the feeling of being loved in real life.”

Kara grins. “Good answer,” she praises, nodding. “Oh! Also, you said your taste in books is eclectic,” Kara recalls, and Lena nods in agreement. Over the years, she’s developed a very wide spectrum of books that she loves, and there are so many that she can’t specify which genre she loves the most. All she knows is that she despises horror to the core. “What’s a genre that you have never quite understood?”

“There are many ways to interpret your question,” Lena hums, tapping her fingers on the counter absentmindedly. She understands the purpose of horror, even if she dislikes the genre, and most genres have purposes, so it’s hard to answer Kara’s question directly. “I despise horror. I understand the purpose of it, but I can’t understand why people like it. I personally can’t bring myself to like it.”

“I hate horror, too,” Kara says, nodding in agreement. “One time, I watched a horror movie and I couldn’t sleep after that, so my sister had to pour holy water all over my apartment.”

Lena bursts into laughter. She can imagine Kara asking her sister to pour holy water everywhere, scared that ghosts may jump out and attack her or take her away in the middle of the night. “Another genre that I suppose I’ve always been rather curious about is erotica. Not that I don’t understand it, or anything like that,” Lena shakes her head, “I’m just confused as to why there are books solely written for that genre. They’re all pretty bad.”

“Ooh,” Kara begins, grinning curiously. “What’s erotica? It sounds cool.”

Lena bites her lip, willing herself not to laugh. For a moment, she considers lying and seeing if Kara buys it, just for the fun of it. But she decides that Kara, in all her innocence, deserves to know the truth, and she’d rather not fool Kara only for her to find out the truth and start pouting. Lena most definitely wouldn’t survive that. “What do you think it is?” she decides to ask, curious to find out what Kara thinks it could be.

“I don’t know, it sound pretty exotic,” Kara starts, humming thoughtfully. “It sounds like some sort of spywork, maybe secret agent stuff?”

“It’s sex,” Lena informs flatly.

Kara chokes on air at the answer, going into a violent coughing fit. She rests her forearms on the table, trying to regulate her breathing after coughing up a storm, and Lena stands in her spot behind the counter, not knowing whether to be amused or concerned. “Well, that certainly wasn’t the answer I was expecting.”

“There’s a small shelf in this store selling erotica, because apparently _bookstores are advised to cater to all genres_ ,” Lena quotes, voice raising mockingly. “You can check it out, if you’re, you know. Into that kind of thing.” She winks teasingly at Kara, who chokes again.

Lena walks over to the erotica shelf, picking out _Fifty Shades of Grey_ and bringing it back to the counter. “I have a recommendation for you. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of _Fifty Shades of Grey_ , but it was really a bestseller when it came out. You’ll love it,” Lena says, trying her best not to laugh.

“Is it, uh, erotica?” Kara asks, cheeks flushing when she gets her answer just by looking at the cover. “Okay, so it is. Thanks, but I’ll stick to other genres,” she adds, breathing hard from the two coughing fits she had only moments ago.

“It’s a very educational novel,” Lena encourages, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Really. I’ve heard many good reviews. Maybe you can learn something from it, too.” Lena’s read only four chapters of the book. She personally thinks it’s terribly written, but it seems to be very popular amongst married middle-aged women, according to statistics. At the time, Lena had tried to be professional, but she had to admit that it was a little funny seeing some people come up to the counter with the book, unable to make eye contact with her as she took the book and scanned it without any comment.

“Very nice of you to offer,” Kara says, nodding vigorously. “But I know enough,” she assures, laughing nervously.

“I’m guessing you’re not the kind of person who’s comfortable talking about sex?” Lena asks, and for a second she worries if she’s crossed a line, but Kara doesn’t look fazed – she merely shakes her head.

“I’m alright with it. My sister has teased me about this a lot over the years, so after a while I got used to the topic. But I’ve never read erotica in my life,” she admits, shrugging. Lena figures that published erotica sucks anyway, so it’s understandable that Kara has never bothered to try reading it. After all, Lena _did_ give up after four chapters of a bestselling erotica book.

“Understandable,” Lena thinks out loud, humming. “Published erotica tends to be quite trashy. Plus, why pay for bad erotica when you can read fanfiction for free? Really gotta get into the Draco/Harry fandom, if you know what I mean,” Lena recalls, raising an eyebrow at Kara, who splutters indignantly.

“It was _one_ time!” she exclaims, mortified. “And I beg to differ. There was nothing of that sort in the one work that I happened to read.”

Lena nods along. “Sure, whatever you say.”

Kara huffs, and Lena watches amusedly as she crosses her arms, her lips curling into a pout. She doesn’t say anything, only stares very intensely at one of the bookshelves, if only to avoid looking at Lena.

Lena reaches over the counter, prying Kara’s arms away from her torso with a laugh. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop,” she promises, feeling Kara’s arms relax as they return to her sides, and the blonde’s pout goes away, turning into a grin. Lena can’t help but find it endearing.

“And…?” Kara prompts, eyebrows raised.

“And I’m sorry for making fun of you,” Lena adds with a laugh, watching as Kara’s smile grows, the corners of her eyes crinkling happily.

Lena just laughs again.

//

Kara had stayed for quite a while, and they talked about the most random things, ranging from books to movies, to family and friends. Lena had to attend to customers in between their conversations, but Kara didn’t mind at all, simply resuming their conversation once the store was empty again. And Kara was exactly the person Lena expected her to be, but there were certain things that caught Lena by surprise.

Like, for example, the way that despite Kara’s sunny disposition, she knows what pain is at its worst, from the time her parents died when she was twelve. And the fact that Kara, despite being very innocent, is actually very knowledgeable about many things, like different ways to kill someone using just an index finger (apparently taught to her by her sister) and the many different types of kinks that exist (courtesy of her friends and sister who love to teach her about them because of her reactions).

And Lena finds that she loves talking to Kara. She can talk to Kara forever without getting bored, because Kara is equal parts chatty and equal parts a good listener.

The most surprising moment was when Kara had moved behind the counter just to pull Lena into a hug. Lena definitely did _not_ see it coming, and when it actually happened, it took her a few seconds to comprehend what was going on before she brought her hands up, wrapping them around Kara’s waist in return.

Let it be said that Kara is a great hugger, and very warm, and Lena is helpless in the face of genuine affection, more specifically in the face of Kara’s affection.

Kara is, she realizes, a very touchy person. Her hand brushes Lena’s on the counter as she talks animatedly, and sometimes she takes Lena’s hand absentmindedly and fiddles with it in the middle of a conversation. Other times, she grabs Lena’s upper arms when she’s excited about something, and when she hugs, she hugs for a very, very long amount of time.

Which, Lena is most certainly not complaining.

After that, Kara comes back almost every day. She buys new books on certain days, and on others, she doesn’t. But every time she comes in, she’ll stay for at least an hour, just talking to Lena and getting to know her better. Lena gets to know Kara better, too; sometimes they talk about trivial things like their favorite colors, favorite movies, favorite food and so on.

Lena’s life is perpetually brighter because of Kara. She finds herself waiting for Kara to come in every day, and every time, Kara will greet her with a bright smile. Sometimes, she’ll bring food and coffee, and sometimes she will wait until Lena closes the store, ready with takeout or a box of pizza, and they’ll sit at the counter eating it and talking about nothing, not needing to worry about interruptions because the sign on the door is flipped to ‘closed’.

A week before Christmas, Kara comes into the store wearing a santa hat, and Lena finds that it’s a very fitting look for Kara. The hat itself is a representation of the happiness that comes with Christmas, and Kara, being such a happy person, wears it perfectly.

“Nice hat,” Lena compliments with a grin, eyes trained on the santa hat that sits on the top of Kara’s head. Her hair is in a braid and she’s wearing a grey sweater, jeans and boots. The whole look is incredibly simple, but Lena loves it.

“Thank you, I happen to love it too,” Kara replies happily, grinning back at Lena as she leans forward on the counter, resting her forearms on it and linking her hands. “I’m here today with an invitation,” she says. Lena’s eyebrows arch curiously, and she waits for a few moments, trying to guess what’s happening from the excitement that Kara is barely holding in. She looks like she’s about to burst.

Humoring her, Lena decides to cut straight to the point. “What is it?”

“I’m having a Christmas party at my apartment on Christmas Eve. I was really hoping that you would come,” Kara says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. “I understand if you don’t want to go or can’t make it. My sister and her girlfriend will be there, and a few of my close friends. They’ll love you, I already know it. You don’t have to say yes. But I really hope you’ll be able to come.”

“What’s in it for me?” Lena jokes, raising an eyebrow.

“You’ll get infinite hugs from me, free food and drinks, and game night. And I guarantee you’ll make new friends,” Kara says confidently, a proud smile on her face.

“How do you know I’ll get along with your friends?” Lena asks. And she already knows that she’s going to say yes, because she can never say no to Kara, but at the same time, there’s no harm in pressing her a little bit, just for the fun of it.

“Because you get along with me, and I absolutely adore you. So my friends will definitely love you too.” Kara doesn’t miss a beat with her answer; there’s no hesitation whatsoever, and she’s obviously being sincere about this. Sometimes Lena wonders if she actually deserves Kara or not, because Kara is truly amazing, and she doesn’t know what she ever did to deserve her.

“Okay,” Lena says, nodding.

“Really?” Kara asks, looking like Christmas came early. Lena laughs at the pure glee on her face, still withheld while waiting for Lena’s confirmation.

Lena nods again, smiling. “Of course I’ll come,” she answers, wondering why Kara would think there’s any reason for her to say no. Kara is, after all, pretty much her only friend. Not that Lena really has much time for friends, but even then, no one has ever been as dedicated and devoted to her as Kara is. She doesn’t even have Kara’s phone number – the blonde just comes in whenever she wants, and Lena simply trusts that she will. Kara comes, on her own accord, because she wants to spend time with her. And the reason will always be beyond Lena, but she’s grateful, nevertheless.

Kara drags her around the counter and pulls her into a fierce hug, burying her face in the crook of Lena’s neck. “Thank you,” she says into Lena’s skin, and Lena can quite literally feel her smile.

Lena doesn’t say anything, she just smiles and wraps her arms around Kara in response.

//

When Lena arrives at the address that Kara had given her, she sees a rather nice apartment building in front of her. And she’ll admit to no one that she’s wringing her clammy hands in the elevator, taking a deep breath and honest to God trying not to pass out, because she’s already come this far without fainting around Kara and all her efforts would be wasted if her body gave in right now.

She can hear chatter and music coming from the apartment as she nears the unit that Kara lives in, and for a moment, she actually considers turning around and forgetting she ever came here. But then she remembers Kara’s gleeful smile, the smile that was filled with nothing but happiness when she accepted the invitation, and the long hug that she received along with it.

But she’s also not a very sociable person, and she really sucks at talking to people. Somehow, the one person she can talk to without difficulty is Kara, but other than her, Lena has never been good at making friends with other people. And she reckons that the only reason she can talk to Kara is not because _she_ can talk to _Kara_ , but because _Kara_ can talk to _her_. It’s different.

She stands outside for four minutes and sixteen seconds before knocking.

The sound of footsteps gets louder as someone approaches the door, then it’s wrenched open, revealing Kara’s smiling face. “Lena!” she exclaims, rushing forward and wrapping Lena in a hug.

Lena’s pushed back slightly by the force of the hug, laughing a little and wrapping her arms around Kara’s waist in response. “Hey yourself,” she replies as Kara pulls back, hands resting on Lena’s upper arms.

“Thanks for coming,” Kara says, grinning goofily. That’s when Lena really gets a look at her, and suddenly her mouth feels like sandpaper, because Kara is smiling brightly, and her eyes are sparkling even more than they usually do, and her hair is down in beautiful curly waves, but what throws Lena’s world off its axis is the fact that Kara isn’t wearing glasses.

Kara isn’t wearing glasses, and it’s just too much. Kara isn’t wearing glasses, and Lena is now face to face with the unique blue that swims in Kara’s eyes without the barrier of lenses. Kara isn’t wearing glasses, and Lena hadn’t thought that Kara could ever get more beautiful, but she did.

Kara isn’t wearing glasses, and Lena… is starstruck.

“Yeah,” Lena breathes out numbly, barely a response, and Kara just grabs her hand, dragging her into the apartment and closing the door behind them.

The first person who notices Lena is a redhead who spins around at the sound of the door closing. She makes a beeline for Kara, who is still dragging Lena further into the apartment. Lena prays to any higher being that is listening to bless her with social skills and maybe some alcohol so she doesn’t pass out, because _Kara is not wearing glasses_ and Lena is most definitely not okay.

“You must be Lena,” the redhead says, smiling at Lena. Her hands are on her hips, and she looks like she’s trained in martial arts, and Lena is just hoping to make it out alive at this point. “Kara has spoken a lot about you,” she informs, a glint in her eye as she divulges the information. Kara splutters, jaw slack with indignation. “I’m Alex, sister to the fish out of water over here.” Alex nods toward Kara, who is still looking like she wants to protest. Then she sticks her hand out, and Lena takes it. The handshake it exactly what she expects – it’s one firm up and down motion, and then Alex lets go of her hand. If it weren’t for the friendly smile on Alex’s face, Lena would’ve thought she was going to die.

Now, after the handshake and smile and small amount of sisterly banter between Alex and Kara, Lena’s hopeful that she’ll be knocked out, at worst.

“Alex! I do _not_ talk about Lena!” Kara whines, and Lena is actually surprised that she doesn’t punctuate the statement with a stomp of her foot.

“You really do,” Alex replies, crossing her arms. A smirk sits comfortably on her face, and she’s clearly unfazed in the face of Kara’s glare. Alex then turns to Lena, smirk growing. “She really does. All good things, though. You’d be surprised. I’ve never heard her say a single bad thing about y-”

“Okay!” Kara cuts in, clapping her hands together. She moves over to Alex and grabs her arm, knuckles white from how hard she’s gripping it. Lena worries for Alex’s circulation for a second, wondering if it’ll be harmful to do that for an extended period of time. But Alex looks satisfied and not at all in pain. “That’s all for you. Time out,” Kara announces, pulling Alex to stand right beside her.

“You can’t do that, I’m the older sibling,” Alex says, eyebrows raised.

“Yes, I can, and I will,” Kara insists, narrowing her eyes. “Time out, go back to Sam and Ruby.” After a moment, she leans closer to Alex. “We’ll talk about this later, _right_?” she asks through gritted teeth.

Alex nods, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Of course we will, dear sister.” Then she shoots a smile at Lena, and walks back to who Lena thinks is her girlfriend, and a girl who looks about eleven or twelve.

Kara takes Lena’s hand once more, leading Lena over to the couch, where one woman and two men sit. “Lena, these are Lucy, James, Winn,” she introduces, gesturing to each person as she says their names.

They all chorus greetings at the same time, waving at Lena, and she waves back rather awkwardly, smiling at them. They all look like very friendly people, but she’s just awkward, so she stands there, unsure of what to do. Before she can even say anything, Kara drags her to where Alex is, with the woman and the girl. “This is Sam,” she gestures to the woman beside Alex. “And this,” she gestures to the girl, “is Ruby.”

Ruby smiles at Lena. “Hi, are you Lena?” she asks.

Lena nods. “Yes, I am. How do you know me?” she asks curiously, head tilting. She hears Alex burst into laughter and watches as Ruby’s smile grows.

“Kara talks about you a lot,” Ruby replies, and Lena turns around to see Alex laughing even harder, face red. Sam looks like she’s biting back her own laughter, simply placing a hand on Alex’s knee to coax her to calm down.

Sam leans closer to Lena. “She’s like this sometimes,” she whispers conspiratorially, grinning. Her nose scrunches up with laughter. “Once she laughs it off, she’ll be fine again.”

Lena chuckles. “Seems like that’ll do the trick,” she says, nodding.

Then she looks at Kara, who stands beside Alex, pouting with her brows furrowed. Alex is still laughing, wiping tears from her eyes, while Ruby chuckles a little before settling down.

“Anyway,” Alex says, wiping the last of her tears away before continuing. “Now that everyone is here, I’m going to order the pizza so it can come nice and hot. There are snacks and drinks on the coffee table and refills in the kitchen. Kara will help you out if you need anything. You guys can start the games first, I’ll join you in a bit.” She stands up, kissing Sam on the cheek and patting Kara lightly on the arm before pulling her phone out and walking into the hallway.

Kara blows out a breath, cheeks still flushed, and her hand is back in Lena’s once more. “Let’s go play some games, then!” she says happily, leading Lena back to the couch as Sam and Ruby follow behind.

Lena, because of her love for reading almost anything and everything (except horror), puts her and Kara in the lead in Trivial Pursuit. And she spends most of the game time just admiring the way Kara really is in her element when she’s around the people she loves. She looks so unbelievably _happy_ that it makes Lena content to just watch her talk and laugh. And when they win the game, Kara pulls Lena into a hug while she rubs it in Alex’s face, all in good fun.

And then they play Monopoly, and Lena wins, because her family got her to study business and finance when she was younger. Kara praises her all throughout the game, and so does everyone else. They tease Winn when he pays her the price for a hotel on the most expensive property, and high-five Lucy jokingly when Lena pays her ten dollars after landing on her cheapest property. For once, Lena feels like she actually _belongs_. The feeling courses through her veins and fills her with more life and happiness than she could’ve ever imagined, and she finds herself talking and laughing with everyone like they’re old friends who’ve known each other all their lives.

Apparently Alex is a renowned champion at Mario Kart, and it proves to be true when she wins almost all the races. There are only four controllers, so Lena chooses to sit out at first, since she doesn’t even know how to play the game. Eventually Kara looks at her, holding her controller out. “Here,” she says, grinning at Lena.

Lena shakes her head. “No, it’s okay, you can play. I’m content just watching.” And she is content to watch Kara move around even though it’s a video game. She’s content to watch Kara almost fall off the couch leaning to the right when trying to steer her character in that direction, which is so inherently _Kara_ that it makes Lena smile.

“Come on, we’re all taking turns. I wanna see you play,” Kara says, a smile on her face.

And Lena decides that she just has to admit it. “Well, I don’t know how to play,” she replies, and Kara gasps, looking like she’s heard that the world is ending tonight.

Then Kara insists on teaching her and showing her the ropes, and slowly, Lena gets the hang of it. Alex still wins a lot, with Kara always coming close to overtaking her towards the end. Winn and James team up somehow, one of them handling the joystick and the other handling the buttons, but it ends up backfiring on them, leaving Lucy in stitches beside them. Alex actually loses to Ruby once, which ends up in Sam cheering for her daughter and kissing Alex on the cheek as a consolation prize.

Lena, for her part, can’t take her eyes off Kara. She pays attention to everything going on around her, but some part of her is always aware of Kara. Kara who is beyond gorgeous. Kara who is happier than Lena’s ever seen her. Kara who is truly a vision, face filled with pure joy and contentment. It brings Lena happiness, too, because seeing Kara like this, loving and being loved, is the most beautiful that Kara has ever been.

And she watches Kara stuff pizza, nachos and potstickers into her mouth, along with a very unhealthy amount of candy. Kara chugs beer with Alex and Winn while everyone else cheers them on, and Lena realizes that maybe she’ll come out of this more than alive.

Maybe she’ll come out of this happy.

Content.

Possibly a little in love.

Kara’s obviously tipsy, a little off-balance whenever she walks around. Her words are slightly slurred and her smiles are lazier than usual, but Lena still thinks Kara’s the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen.

She gets Kara to down several cups of water, which eventually sobers her up a little, and it’s close to midnight by the time Lena leaves.

Kara’s talking to her at the door when Alex shouts to them from inside the apartment.

“Look above your heads, lovebirds!”

Lena looks up, frowning confusedly, before she spots the mistletoe hanging from the doorway, right above where she and Kara are standing. When Kara looks up and spots it, her head snaps to Alex, glaring at her. “Is this your doing?” she asks Alex, narrowing her eyes.

Alex shrugs, grinning. “Maybe, maybe not. You know what to do, it’s tradition,” she says in a sing-song voice. Sam’s laughter can be heard from inside the apartment as she goes back to distracting Alex.

“I’m sorry, this is just… Alex is always like this. You get used to it after a while,” Kara says apologetically, running a hand through her hair.

“I like her,” Lena states, smiling. “You two seem to love each other a lot,” she comments, head tilting. She watches as a small smile spreads on Kara’s face.

“We do. I wouldn’t trade her for anything.” There’s a pause before Kara speaks again. “But she can be very… forward sometimes. With these kinds of things. She’s just poking fun, I’m sorry about this.” Kara points to the mistletoe hanging above them, shoulders slumping.

Lena laughs, shaking her head. “It’s fine, really. I think it’s pretty funny.”

“I’m glad you and Alex share the same humor, then,” Kara says drily. “Anyway, you don’t… ah, just ignore it.”

Lena doesn’t register exactly what she’s doing. She steps forward, closer to Kara, and in some burst of confidence that she didn’t know she even had, leans forward and presses a lingering kiss to Kara’s cheek.

“It’s fine,” she whispers as she pulls away, voice a little lower and slightly huskier than usual and _what is she doing?_ “Tradition, right?”

Kara, who looks like a fish out of water, nods.

Lena smiles. “Thank you, for tonight. I had a great time.” For the first time in a long time, she felt like she truly belonged. And that means the world to her, and then some.

“I’m glad. I had a great time, too. Thank you, again. For coming,” Kara replies, smiling. Her eyes crinkle at the corners, and she looks like something out of a dream, even though her hair is a little messy and her eyes are slightly glazed over from all the drinks she’s consumed. Lena wonders if Kara can ever be anything _but_ beautiful.

“Thank you inviting me.” Lena sees the clock on Kara’s wall. It’s past midnight. “Merry Christmas, Kara,” she says, smiling softly.

Kara pulls her into a hug, burying her face in the crook of Lena’s neck, like she always does. Her arms wrap fully around Lena, like they always do. She speaks into Lena’s skin, like she always does, “Merry Christmas, Lena.”

Lena thinks this is the best Christmas she’s ever had, hands down.

//

They celebrate New Year’s together, with the rest of Kara’s family and friends, and Lena thinks that maybe she really is a part of their circle now, because occasionally they’ll follow Kara to her bookstore and talk to her, and sometimes they even buy some books to read.

Today, they’re a few days away from the start of February. The store is currently empty, the most recent customer having just left with their bag of books, and Lena decides that maybe she should go get a cup of coffee – she’s bored and a little tired, and needs the caffeine boost. It’s almost closing time already, and for a moment, she debates getting her coffee _after_ closing the store, but the thought is quickly pushed away when she feels the need for caffeine wash over her.

She walks slowly to the café, waiting patiently as they prepare her order, and finishes the cup of coffee before she crosses the street back to her store. She’s about to open the door when she sees Kara inside the store, pacing around and mumbling something to herself. There’s something in Kara’s hand, but she can only see a glimpse of it, the rest of it blocked by a bookcase, at least with the angle that Lena is watching from.

When she opens the door and walks inside, the bell rings, catching Kara’s attention as the blonde’s head snaps to the door. When she sees Lena, she smiles happily, but also a little nervously. Lena raises an eyebrow, standing at the door.

“Lena!” Kara exclaims, holding the item in her hand behind her back.

“Kara,” Lena greets, frowning with concern. “Are you alright? You look a little nervous.”

Kara clears her throat as Lena walks over to the counter, stopping right in front of Kara.

“Fine, yes, fine,” Kara says, waving a dismissive hand. Then she clears her throat again, hesitating for a moment before bringing her hand out from behind her back and revealing a bouquet of flowers. Lena’s eyes widen slightly as her eyes look over the beautiful arrangement. She spots plumerias, her favorite flower, and an assortment of gardenias and roses.

It occurs to Lena what is probably going on right now. Gardenias, meaning secret love. Roses, meaning love, longing and desire.

“So,” Kara starts, holding the bouquet with both hands. “I was going to come up with something very creative for this. Maybe take a quote from your favorite book, or make you a bookmark with a confession on it, or recommend you a book that’s about an owner of a bookstore and a random customer meeting, then growing closer and falling in love, or something along those lines,” she rambles.

There’s a short pause before Kara continues, “But your favorite book is a tragedy, which doesn’t seem very fitting for something like this. And I can’t fit everything I want to say on a bookmark without ruining the aesthetic. And I’m sure the book about two people and a bookstore exists somewhere in this world, but I don’t know how to find it, or if you’ll even get the hint, so I scratched that idea too.”

Kara takes a deep breath, head ducking for a moment before she looks up again. “Basically, every idea I had didn’t really work out. Nothing seemed to do you justice, nothing seemed to stand out to me. I wanted to make this special, and memorable,” she admits, smiling a little. “So, at first, I really wanted to make this about books, because,” she takes one hand off the bouquet to gesture to Lena, then around the store, “you love books, and you own a bookstore, and reading is one of your favorite things to do. And so I thought I should use books to do this, or something involving books. But I wasn’t happy with any of the ideas I came up with. Or Alex. Or Sam. Or Winn. Or everyone, basically.”

Lena laughs a little at the prospect of Kara brainstorming with her entire circle of friends and rejecting all the ideas being thrown out. She nods along, watching adoringly as Kara continues to ramble.

“I couldn’t come up with anything,” Kara admits, brows furrowing for a moment before her face breaks out into a small smile. “But then I remembered you saying that your life doesn’t revolve around reading. That books are fiction, and reality is still a thing. That nothing can compare to being loved in real life. And I realized that maybe I don’t need to link this whole thing to books, because doing it probably won’t make that much of a difference,” she says, shrugging teasingly.

Lena chuckles, shaking her head at Kara’s antics.

“This isn’t particularly creative or special,” Kara says, stepping closer to Lena. “It’s just me, and a bouquet of flowers. Your favorite flower, and two others that you definitely know the meaning of.” Her smile grows as Lena laughs again. “It’s not much.”

Kara looks down at the flowers, then back up at Lena. “But what I want you to know is that it’s a promise,” she reaches out, taking one of Lena’s hands in her own. “A promise that I am way more committed to this than I seem right now, and that I will find a way to link this to books if that’s what it takes.”

Lena laughs again, shaking her head as a tear rolls down her cheek. Kara separates their hands for a moment to wipe it away before taking her hand again and God, she really needs to get it together.

“A promise that I am devoted to you, in every way,” Kara continues softly, squeezing Lena’s hand. “And after all this, you can definitely say no,” Kara says, chuckling along with Lena, “but I’m really hoping that I read the signs right, and that you want to be with me as much as I want to be with you.”

Kara runs her thumb over Lena’s knuckles.

“So, what I’m trying to ask is, Lena Luthor, will you go on a date with me?”

And Kara cannot look more beautiful than she does now, holding a bouquet of flowers and proclaiming her feelings.

So Lena numbly takes the bouquet from Kara’s hand, placing it gingerly on the counter. Then she faces Kara again, steps closer, and lifts a hand, resting it on the back of Kara’s neck.

“It’s okay to kiss before the first date, right?” Lena asks, raising a teasing eyebrow.

Kara rolls her eyes playfully, wrapping her arms around Lena’s waist. “Does it matter?” she asks, raising her eyebrows in return. Lena moves her hand from Kara’s neck, reaching up to push one of her eyebrows down, remembering how Kara can’t raise just one eyebrow. Kara grins at the action, looking up at her hand.

“I suppose not,” Lena replies, dropping her hand, then snaking her arms around Kara’s neck. “But I’m also all about consent,” she whispers conspiratorially.

“Of course you would be,” Kara says, beaming. “Oh, and so am I.”

Lena nods, smiling. “I’m glad we’re on the same page. So, do I have it?”

“Have what?”

“Your consent,” Lena replies, eyebrows raised.

“I brought flowers and gave a whole speech,” Kara whispers. “What do you think?”

Lena shrugs. “It was more of a ramble than anything.” When Kara pouts, she grins. “Don't worry, it was adorable. I loved it.”

Kara smiles, wide and toothy. “I love you.”

Lena presses her lips to Kara’s at that, unable to hold back anymore. Kara tastes like candy, as though she was stress-eating before this, and Lena smiles into the kiss, trying not to laugh at the mental image of the blonde stuffing sweets into her mouth and chewing frantically as she tries to calm herself down. The image disappears and she’s brought back to the moment when Kara’s arms wrap tighter around her waist, pulling her closer and kissing her back fervently.

“Just in case the message got lost somewhere in the mail,” Lena whispers as she pulls back an inch. “I love you too.”

Kara grins, connecting their lips once more.

They only pull apart when the bell at the door rings, and Lena clears her throat, moving behind the counter as Kara’s shoulders shake with laughs.

After the customer picks out a few books, pays for them and leaves, Lena walks over to the door, flipping the sign on it to signal that the bookstore is closed for the night. Then she walks back to the counter, organizing the items on it like she does every night before she leaves.

Arms snake around her waist from behind, and after she’s finished arranging everything in front of her, she turns around in Kara’s hold, smiling and pressing a kiss to her lips.

When she pulls back and gazes at Kara, she captures this moment and commits it to memory – the sight of Kara positively _glowing_ with happiness as she stares lovingly back at Lena, eyes crinkled at the corners from how wide she’s smiling. ‘Beautiful’ doesn’t even begin to describe it.

“Was it enough?” Kara asks, eyes darting to the flowers sitting on the counter.

“Kara,” Lena starts, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind Kara’s ear. “All I want,” she whispers, hand moving to cup Kara’s cheek. Her thumb brushes over Kara’s cheekbone as she continues, “And all I need.” She leans forward, kissing Kara lightly. “Is you.”

Kara smiles goofily. “I love you.”

Lena laughs lightly, shaking her head. “I love you too. Trust me when I say that you’re more than enough for me,” she says, eyebrows raised. “But,” she adds, smiling, “the flowers were a nice touch.”

Kara hums. “I knew it,” she whispers, grinning. Her eyes twinkle with pride.

“You’re such a dork,” Lena teases.

“But I’m _your_ dork,” Kara counters, looking at Lena expectantly.

“Sounds like something that would come out of a Draco/Harry fanfiction,” Lena replies, her hand falling from Kara’s cheek as she laughs and rests her forehead on Kara’s shoulder.

Kara lets out a noise of indignation. “Hey! I resent that,” she says emphatically.

Lena pulls back from Kara’s shoulder and kisses her pout away. “You’re adorable,” she compliments with a small smile.

“And yours,” Kara adds with a grin, wraps her arms tighter around Lena’s waist, bringing their bodies closer together.

“And I’m yours,” Lena replies in kind, smiling. “We should probably leave soon, though,” she adds in a teasing whisper.

And Kara lets out a small ‘oh!’ in realization, letting go of Lena. She moves to pick the flowers up from the counter and presents them to Lena with a dorky smile. Lena takes the bouquet, laughing as Kara holds the door open for her with an exaggerated gesture.

Kara snags the keys from Lena’s hand once they walk out of the bookstore, helping her to lock up. “It’ll be hard for you to lock up while holding the flowers,” Kara explains, the smile evident in her voice as she turns to face Lena after making sure the door is locked.

“You could’ve taken the flowers while I locked up,” Lena retorts, raising an eyebrow.

Kara grins cheekily. “Nope. The flowers are yours to hold and keep.” Then she places her hand on the left side of her chest. “As is my heart,” she says dramatically.

Lena just laughs, shaking her head.

And as they walk hand-in-hand, Kara rambling on about her day and asking Lena about hers, Lena thinks that, truly, nothing can compare to the feeling of being loved in real life.

Nothing can compare to loving Kara, and being loved back just the same.

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on tumblr [@bezziemateys](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bezziemateys)


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